Tomorrow, prescriptionsalve April 19, McDonald’s is looking to hire up to 50,000 people nationwide. Offering jobs with flexibility, training, competitive benefits and growth opportunities, McDonald’s also has a scholarship program for employees and the opportunity to earn college credits.
Currently employing more than 650,000 people, McDonald’s restaurants spend nearly $43.3 million per day and are a major economic presence in American communities. This target of hiring 50,000 new employees means that McDonald’s and their franchisees will generate more than $1.4 billion in consumer spending at a time when the U.S. economy needs the boost and our communities need jobs more than ever. African American teens, 38.5 percent of whom are currently unemployed, may especially benefit from this hiring blitz.
The National Urban League continues to push for federal action in response to the jobs crisis in urban America and applauds McDonald’s for doing its part with its “National Hiring Day.”
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[two_third] [fancy_header] Note from the President & CEO[/fancy_header] [fancy_box]
[frame_left]http://www.gtul.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/jjones1-e1272051992336.jpg[/frame_left][dropcap1]N[/dropcap1]ow that the dust has settled and the smoke has cleared its time for the real work to begin. In case you missed it, pill our humble organization was honored to invite Dr. Bill Cosby to our fair city to electrify and empower the masses. Dr. Cosby dedicated an entire weekend of his time to our hefty cause, uniting the city in A New Way Forward. His presence in our town caused such a buzz that we could barely keep up with all the positive press across the country about this enormous event. Having said that we are pumped and ready to move on to the next step. We would like to thank all of our supporters but especially those that volunteered their time and energy to make this one of the biggest and best weekends this city has ever seen.
Rev. John C. Jones – President / CEO
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[button_icon icon=”briefcase” url=”http://www.gtul.org/get-involved/join”] Join the Movement [/button_icon] [button_icon icon=”door” url=”http://www.gtul.org/community-rally-volunteer-form”] Become A Volunteer [/button_icon] [button_icon icon=”house” url=”http://www.gtul.org/get-involved/suppport/contact-us”] Contact Us [/button_icon] Thank you for supporting the Greater Toledo Urban League where we Empower Communities & Change Lives
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Subscribe to our [tooltip color=”red” text=”Subscribe to our channel at youtube.com/GTUL100″] You Tube Channel [/tooltip] and stay up to date with messages from our President / CEO John Jones.
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[fancy_header]WHAT WE DO[/fancy_header] [one_fourth]
Education and Youth Services
[dropcap1]1[/dropcap1]All that we do as adults is built on a foundation of education. The primary focus of our organization is on equal opportunity education for all students. We offer a wide range of educational programs that serve youth and adults. Our programs are designed to compliment the current trends and climate of the modern workforce and are built to level the playing field for minorities and those that are disadvantaged.
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Workforce Development
[dropcap1]2[/dropcap1]In our modern economy it is even more critical that we properly train and assist those in need of employment to get the skills and experience needed to be successful in the workforce. We have extensive programming and staff resources available to achieve the very ambitious goal of turning the unemployment rate of Toledo on its head. We currently service clients seeking employment and offer one on one assistance to help them over come any barriers they may have.
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Health and Quality of Life
[dropcap1]3[/dropcap1]Nothing is more important than living a happy, healthy, and full life. We offer senior services, health awareness and youth activity programs in order to help improve the quality of life in the Toledo community and beyond. Our programs, partnered with local community organizations focus on improving the entire being (mind, body, and spirit) while encouraging people of all ages to reach their full potential as a productive addition to their community.
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Our Vision and Social Media Mission
[dropcap1]4[/dropcap1] The vision of the Greater Toledo Urban League is an empowered community of economically and socially self suffiecient individuals.” Having said that there is no more powerful movement then that of the social media community. You can find us on all the major social media outlets sharing our resources and presenting our achievements to the community.
[divider_top]Find out what we do[/divider_top] [one_half] [fancy_header]Latest posts from the Blog[/fancy_header] [cetsEmbedRSS id=http://www.gtul.org/feed itemcount=2 itemauthor=1 itemdate=1 itemcontent=1] [/one_half] [one_half_last] [fancy_header]Latest News from the National Urban League[/fancy_header] [arrow_list] [cetsEmbedRSS id=http://www.nul.org/feed.xml itemcount=4 itemauthor=0 itemdate=1 itemcontent=0] [/arrow_list] [/one_half_last] [divider_top]divider[/divider_top]
The previous two blog entries presented the first two in a four-step process for finding a new job. The first entry challenged you to pretend that your life – and the lives of those dearest to you – depended on finding a new job. Literally. The goal was to get you into the mindset you would have if this really happened to you.
Step two showed you how to create messages that communicate your value in ways that an employer would take notice.
Now you are ready for step three…
Step Three: Think like a consultant. Consultants make marketing their top priority. They are very effective at three types of marketing in particular, sales and you need to become experts here, ask too. The first is in getting referrals. They are pros when it comes to telling people about the value they provide, and then educating them about the types of people they want to meet. They also know how to help other people, by making introductions for them and helping them in other ways to advance their careers. You need to be willing to tell everyone you know about the value you provide, and then explicitly ask people who they know who might be looking for that value. Don’t be shy; your life depends on making direct requests!
Second, consultants get visible by establishing themselves as experts. They write articles, speak, set up blogs, post videos of them speaking, get active in their industry associations, start online groups, and even do simple research projects. All of these things establish their credibility and prove that they are thinking about, and can solve, the most pressing problems the people in their target market face. I don’t care if you are at the lowest level of a company. You can still do some sort of educational marketing to establish yourself as an expert in your field.
Third, consultants are early adopters of social media. They know every feature of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, BlogTalkRadio, YouTube, and question and answer sites – and they know how to use these technologies to meet new people and get introductions. I don’t care if you think you are too old! Your life depends on learning these technologies.
Interestingly, if you take this exercise seriously, you might even end up getting consulting offers, which could launch your career in a very different, exciting direction. Personally, I prefer being a consultant than an employee. As a consultant, I have dozens of clients; if I lose one, I only lose a small portion of my income. Plus, as a consultant I am constantly marketing, and so landing a new opportunity is not such a huge deal. For the purposes of this exercise, you are seeking a full-time job offer. However, in the real world, be flexible and agile, ready to turn someone’s interest in you into any form of assignment you can get!
Once you have the right mindset, messages that communicate your value, and you are thinking like a consultant, you are ready for the fourth and final step, coming next…
Andrew Neitlich is the co-author, with Jay Conrad Levinson, of Guerrilla Marketing for a Bulletproof Career, a book that reveals the secrets to career success in perpetually gut-wrenching times. For more information, and for additional articles, visit www.bulletproofcareer.com. He also runs the Center for Career Coaching, which trains career coaches.
[fancy_box] [info_box]The Greater Toledo Urban League is inviting everyone to come visit us at our new location on 7 East Bancroft street. We will be holding an Open House on Thursday, salve April 21 at 10am. Come and see our new location as well as check out some of the wonderful programs, activities, and events we have coming up. Bring your questions, concerns, and suggestions when you come. We look forward to meeting you all. [/info_box]
An image of a life monitoring device sourced from http://www.sxc.hu/photo/36776
[info_box]Originally posted on the Simply hired Blog By Andrew Neitlich[/info_box]
Looking for a new job and not having success? In this four-part series, discount you will increase your odds of job search success in four steps.
Step One: Pretend that you’ve just gotten the scariest call in your life, order and get in the right mindset. Before you read about what this means, please realize that step one might be a reach for some of you. You might roll your eyes. You might want to stop reading immediately. However, if you can suspend your disbelief for a moment and take in what I am asking you to do, then you might find that getting a new job becomes much easier.
Here is the scenario: Assume you get an anonymous call on your cell phone. The person on the other end gives you very scary news. They are holding hostage the person in your life that you hold most dear. You have exactly 30 days to find a new job, or you will never see this person again. At the same time, if you fail, they will come and get you next. Then they hang up.
Most people in this scenario would be clueless, but not you. You are going to take this scenario seriously.
You really are going to act as if your life depended on getting a new job. Most people lack urgency and edge when they want a new job – especially compared to someone whose life depends on it. Many are so cynical and discouraged that they give only a half-hearted effort. Others don’t work full time at it, even though they claim that they are. Too many job seekers treat the exercise as if their life were a dress rehearsal, not their one and only chance in this brief moment in this very short life.
You are different. You realize that getting a new job in just 30 days is going to be like pushing a boulder up a steep hill. You understand that you have to put five, 10 — even 20 — units of effort in, just to see one unit of result come back to you. While others barely get the rock moving before they quit, you are going to keep pushing and pushing – no matter how exhausted you are, until that rock starts its way up the hill. And then you are going to keep pushing. Even if you have to take a step or two backwards, you are never going to give up. You will keep moving up that hill.
One other thought: People pushing a boulder up a hill don’t have time to think about status, pride, or whether the next job is going to be as good as the last one. You also don’t have the luxury of going back to school or making a long-term plan to change your skills. Right now, you don’t have a job, and your life is at stake. You don’t have the luxury to whine, or think like a victim. Keep pushing up the hill!
Before you read the next part of this series, get into the mindset that your life – and the lives of those dearest to you – literally depend on your getting a job, fast. Then think about what you are going to do next.
The previous blog entry presented the first in a four-step process for finding a new job. It challenged you to pretend that your life – and the lives of those dearest to you – depended on finding a new job. It asked you to pretend that you get an anonymous call on your cell phone. The person on the other end gives you very scary news. They are holding hostage the person in your life that you hold most dear. You have exactly 30 days to find a new job, page or you will never see this person again. At the same time, pill if you fail, prostate they will come and get you next. Then they hang up.
Step one was to get into the mindset you would have if this really happened to you. Now you are ready for step two….
Step Two: Create messages that communicate your value. Lives are at stake, but you can’t just scramble around looking for a new job. You have to be efficient. You need a strong foundation before you can take action. You have to know how to communicate your value to others so that they notice you, and think of you first when they have a need.
Most people have no idea how to communicate their value to other people. Specifically, they can’t justify how they can bring value equal to two, three, five, even ten times their salary and benefits back to a company.
Once again, you are different. You can tell people precisely how you help them, and the benefits they get by hiring you. How can you help increase sales? Decrease costs? Improve customer relationships and create raving, loyal fans? Bring new products to market more quickly and successfully? Save your boss time and hassle, so that he can focus on advancing his own career?
Once you figure out how you add value, you need to be able to explain your unique edge. Why you? What sets you apart compared to everyone else looking?
Finally, you need to prove that your claims are true, with past achievements, references, and case studies about your results.
If you can do this, you have a good chance of seeing your loved one again. If you can’t, you need to finesse your story as best you can because, again, your life depends on it.
Once you have your messages in place, you can move to Step Three, coming next.
Looking for a new job and not having success? In this four-part series, approvedsee you will increase your odds of job search success in four steps.
Step One: Pretend that you’ve just gotten the scariest call in your life, thumb and get in the right mindset. Before you read about what this means, this site please realize that step one might be a reach for some of you. You might roll your eyes. You might want to stop reading immediately. However, if you can suspend your disbelief for a moment and take in what I am asking you to do, then you might find that getting a new job becomes much easier.
Here is the scenario: Assume you get an anonymous call on your cell phone. The person on the other end gives you very scary news. They are holding hostage the person in your life that you hold most dear. You have exactly 30 days to find a new job, or you will never see this person again. At the same time, if you fail, they will come and get you next. Then they hang up.
Most people in this scenario would be clueless, but not you. You are going to take this scenario seriously.
You really are going to act as if your life depended on getting a new job. Most people lack urgency and edge when they want a new job – especially compared to someone whose life depends on it. Many are so cynical and discouraged that they give only a half-hearted effort. Others don’t work full time at it, even though they claim that they are. Too many job seekers treat the exercise as if their life were a dress rehearsal, not their one and only chance in this brief moment in this very short life.
You are different. You realize that getting a new job in just 30 days is going to be like pushing a boulder up a steep hill. You understand that you have to put five, 10 — even 20 — units of effort in, just to see one unit of result come back to you. While others barely get the rock moving before they quit, you are going to keep pushing and pushing – no matter how exhausted you are, until that rock starts its way up the hill. And then you are going to keep pushing. Even if you have to take a step or two backwards, you are never going to give up. You will keep moving up that hill.
One other thought: People pushing a boulder up a hill don’t have time to think about status, pride, or whether the next job is going to be as good as the last one. You also don’t have the luxury of going back to school or making a long-term plan to change your skills. Right now, you don’t have a job, and your life is at stake. You don’t have the luxury to whine, or think like a victim. Keep pushing up the hill!
Before you read the next part of this series, get into the mindset that your life – and the lives of those dearest to you – literally depend on your getting a job, fast. Then think about what you are going to do next.
Everyone tells you to ask for the job … but few people will tell you how to ask for it.
Many job seekers take a passive approach and just don’t ask for the job. There are not many situations where a passive approach works well and is often interpreted in a lack of interest in the job.
Interviewers and hiring managers typically assume that if a candidate doesn’t ask for the job, view they just aren’t interested. From the candidate point of view, diagnosis asking for the job makes many uncomfortable, approved opens themselves up for rejection – this is especially common among candidates who have had long term frustrations with job search. Others feel that asking for the job is “too pushy”.
I give this general career advice to all candidates: Take a risk and ask because you miss 100% of the shots you never take. So far, this isn’t earth shattering news.
Here’s the real meat of today’s career advice: Let’s go over some strategies that work well, and contrast with a few that don’t. In addition, I’ll help you translate the interviewer’s response to better understand if you’ll move forward in the hiring process.
7 ways to ask for the job at interview’s end:
Common Approaches
[dropcap1]1[/dropcap1] Direct Approach: “I’d really like to work for your company – the job sounds perfect for me”
While the most popular approach, this method is riddled with problems. It’s centered around what the candidate wants, not what the company wants. If delivered with the wrong tone, in the wrong situation, or to the wrong person, it can be perceived as desperate or pushy. This approach doesn’t ask the interviewer for their opinion of the candidate, which could even appear insulting. Where this can work – for a high pressure, transactional sales position, this demonstrates an ability to go for the close. At an employer that values relationships and taking the time to build trust, this approach can ruin an otherwise great interview.
[dropcap1]2[/dropcap1] Feedback Approach: “So how did I do?”
This approach asks the interviewer for feedback, and puts the interviewer on the spot. If you are one of the leading candidates, and the interviewer definitely has you on the callback list, you’ll probably get a strong answer. The problem with this approach is if you are on the bubble for callback, you’ll rarely have an interviewer tell you this (interviewers don’t want confrontation, or to make a discussion uncomfortable – plus they probably have to move on to the next candidate). If you’re on the bubble, you’ll probably get a non answer telling you that they will review all candidates and make callbacks in the next week or two – basically “Don’t call us, we’ll call you”.
Closing Approaches
[dropcap1]3[/dropcap1] Next Steps Approach: “What’s our next step?”
While a favorite among salespeople, this approach can have drawbacks also. This approach uses an assumptive close technique common in the sales world, assuming there’s a next step and that the interview process will move forward. If you’re a leading candidate, you’ll likely get the response you want, otherwise you’re likely to hear that the company is still reviewing candidates and …. “Don’t call us, we’ll call you”.
[dropcap1]4[/dropcap1] Objections Approach: “Do you have any remaining concerns about how well I could do the job?”
This is another approach that might work more effectively for a sales position than for others. For a transactional sales position, it demonstrates closing techniques. For non-sales positions, you risk that you haven’t asked the right question. The interviewer may answer “no”, which can still leave the candidate in confusion – The interviewer may have decided that you are not a good fit, so they have no remaining concerns … the interviewer’s decision has already been made.
Leveraged Feedback Approaches
[dropcap1]5[/dropcap1] Ranking Approach: “In comparison to other candidates for this position, how do I rank?”
This is a higher level approach, which can give the candidate insight as to chances of getting the job. Higher quality feedback is one of the advantages to this approach. You open the interviewer to give some great feedback, allowing a comparison of how strong of a fit the interviewer perceives vs your own perception of how the interview went. If the response that doesn’t translate into “you’re one of the top candidates” … move to the next opportunity, because this one’s not happening.
[dropcap1]6[/dropcap1] Fit Approach: “How do you see me fitting in with your company?”
This approach can uncover unmentioned objections in an interview and can give feedback to understand how well you “read” the interview (do your perceptions of fit match the interviewer’s perceptions). This can be effective especially when a key criteria is sensitivity to others. If the response isn’t excited and glowing, if the word “fine” or something similar is used, or if the interviewer is waiting to review all the candidates, you aren’t a top choice. Again, move on and don’t wait by the phone.
[dropcap1]7[/dropcap1] 1 to 10 Approach: “On a 1 to 10 scale (10 being best), how do you think I’d do in the position?”
For most situations, I like this approach best, other than for highly transactional sales positions. This approach treats your desire to get feedback as an employee review, showing that you truly seek constructive criticism. It’s also a process that HR personnel, recruiters, and hiring managers are very familiar with, increasing your chances of getting an honest response. To get additional feedback, you can ask a secondary question “What could I do to make that a 10?” This approach gives you a very clear idea of where you stand and your best shot at understanding any objections in the interviewer’s mind – maybe even a chance to clear up any misunderstandings. If you get anything but a 9 or a 10, move on.
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